EDMONTON: Help underway for 4 killed Filipino Workers

EDMONTON: Help underway for 4 killed Filipino Workers

ARCHIE BERNILLO

Filipino community mourns

EDMONTON, Alberta–The pursuit of a better life punctuated by a tragedy that struck four Filipino workers on Saturday is the common sentiment that is bringing together the Filipino community in this city to help the families of the victims.

ARCHIE BERNILLO

Initial reports from authorities identified two of the four victims. They had asked the help of the roommates for proper identification of the other two. The four workers were heading out to Kingman early morning on Saturday when they ran on an icy patch near Leduc causing their vehicle to swerve and slam into a tractor. The victims were declared dead on the spot.

The victims were identified as Eva Jeannete Caperina, 41, Rosalina Tipdas, Archie Bermillo and Romil Mose. The two men, both under 35, worked at Fatburger restaurant and lived together, while Caperina and Tipdas, both working as caregivers, stayed in their house on weekends. Caperina’s husband died from a motorcycle accident last year. All of the victims had been working in Canada between 2012 up until the accident. Initial reports indicated only Mose secured a life insurance while in Canada.

ROSALINA TIPDAS

The office of the Philippine honorary consul based in Edmonton had coordinated with the employers to immediately repatriate the remains. The office is also making funeral arrangements. Concerned Filipinos have pitched in by setting up an account for donations for the families.

Tess Agustin, Migrante Canada chair, said the group plans to write to Philippine Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer in Vancouver to ensure swift funeral and repatriation services are carried out for the remains. For its part, Migrante Alberta is coordinating with Migrante International based in Philippines to lobby for government support including financial assistance for the families of the victims once the remains arrive there.

Filipino migrant workers and their beneficiaries are entitled to services while working abroad covered by their membership with Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), a Philippine government arm. For $25 US membership fee, their families are entitled to up to P200,000 ($5,000 Cad) in death due to accident benefit, as well as P20,000 ($500 Cad) in burial benefits. However, overseas workers often lose their membership as they move from country to country looking for work.

ROMIL MOSE

Cynthia Palmaria of Migrante Alberta reiterated the need for an Alberta based Consular Office for such services. “Often workers are not aware that their membership is only valid for up to two years or for every new contract. Not having an office for an over 100,000 Filipino migrants in Alberta makes it especially difficult for Filipino to re-apply, or to even know they have to do so.” Migrante Alberta led the campaign in opening a consular office for Filipinos in Alberta in 2013.

Palmaria said not providing services due to non-membership with OWWA would be a slap in the face of the victims and their families. She said, “It was the absence of a better future in the Philippines that drove these migrant workers to this country. Their remittances helped the Philippine economy to stay afloat.”

Canada remains one of the top countries where cash remittances from Filipinos are high, records show from the Central Bank of the Philippines. An average $2 billion a year worth of remittances come from Filipinos in Canada, data gathered by Migrante Alberta showed.

Migrante Canada is an alliance of 19 member organizations across the country, including its Alberta chapter.

For more information please contact migrantealberta@gmail.com or call 780-937-5908.

(PRESS RELEASE)